Like An Angel Indeed
by Insert Clever Alias Here
Summary: Quinn doesn't just have the face of an angel, but the wings of one too. Faberry; there'll most likely be fluff, angst, UST, all that jazz.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The night air combed through her blonde locks with its frigid fingers as she glided through the clouds. Watching the twinkling lights of the sleepy Ohio town beneath her, she lighted upon her favorite Maple tree and gazed at the house directly down the hill. The light in the upstairs bedroom was on, as it always was this time of night, she knew. She sighed softly as she watched the curtains dancing gently in the breeze, her eyesight keen as a hawk. Literally.

She stroked her bright white feathers absentmindedly and shivered at the tickley feeling the action elicited. Quinn Fabray had had wings ever since she could remember; and had kept them hidden just as long. Luckily, this wasn't too difficult as they were almost completely retractable; only small scar-like marks could be seen near her shoulder blades where the white monstrosities burst forth when she needed them, or simply lost control. _Birthmarks_, she told anyone who asked about the pink lines on her back. _Just birthmarks._

Oh, her parents knew, yes. She'd only managed to find one piece of physical evidence of herself and her wings as a small child. A photograph that got through, bent and mangled, but intact. Herself, no older than 4 years, standing on the piano in the living room of her family's home, laughing joyfully, small white wings widespread. So carefree. Once Quinn began school, everything changed. As long as she was inside, her parents had grudgingly allowed her to leave her wings out; it was more comfortable for her that way. But with functioning in society came going in public, and with public came hiding herself. The young blonde was forced to learn control over her wings very quickly, and so she did. Keeping them cooped up inside of her where no one could see.

The strain was taxing however, so Quinn took to nightly flights. Donning a halter top, she took off from her roof and soared freely over Lima, Ohio. She knew the skies of this town like the back of her hand.  
>And also the whereabouts and routines of its inhabitants.<p>

Tonight, and every night, Quinn would fly to this very tree and watch the bedroom window of one particular person.

She steadied herself on her perch and sat, clutching her knees to her chest.  
>A young brunette approached the window. The breath caught in Quinn's throat and she froze in place; it appeared as though the girl was staring directly at her.<p>

She twitched her wings nervously, folding them closer to her body. She knew their snowy white color was easy to see from the window, and though she had abnormally accurate eyesight, knew the girl's eyesight wasn't exactly awful either.

The two both stood in a silent standoff. Quinn realized she still wasn't breathing, and let her air out in a slow, shaky sigh. They'd never stayed this long before.

After what seemed like an eternity, the girl in the window slowly turned and shut her curtains; the light snapped off quickly after.

Quinn rested a few moments longer, before standing and taking off again for home.

She knew the nightly whereabouts and routines of all this town's inhabitants.

And this was her own.

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><p><strong>AN: Hi! This is my first attempt at any fic, so comments and critiques are definitely welcomed **

**and encouraged, but of course, not ****required. I have the first few chapters written already, and I **

**have some idea of where I want this to go...but if you have any ****suggestions or requests in the **

**plot, feel free to mention them and I'll see what I can do.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The day was already well on its way to one o'clock in the afternoon by the time Quinn managed to drag herself out of bed. The summer after her junior year was proving to be a lazy one. After Nationals last June, the year hadn't really wound down so much as crashed like a child after a sugar high. It was mid-way through August already and Quinn felt like she hadn't really accomplished anything.

Eating cereal in front of the TV alone. This was essentially what her life had amounted to. The occasional outing with Brittany and Santana, but she always felt like a third wheel.

She wished she was allowed to fly in the daytime.

Dropping her bowl in the sink, she went to go get dressed. She pulled on a breezy light pink sundress and grabbed her sunglasses, if she couldn't fly, she was going to walk.

Quinn felt restless all the time lately. Like...something was missing. Something she couldn't put her finger on, but if she thought too hard about it, felt like a hole was gaping in her chest, rough and ragged around the edges and sucking her ribs into its vacuuming blackness.

She grabbed her bag with her swimsuit and decided to head for the community pool.

Quinn barely made a splash when she gracefully entered the shimmering blue water. She allowed herself to drift gently while she observed the other people around her.

Sam and Mercedes were splashing in the shallow section with Sam's younger siblings, laughing happily. Brittany and Santana were sunbathing on layout lawn chairs, appearing asleep. She sighed and waded over to her ex-boyfriend and her ex-housemate.  
>"Hey Sam, Mercedes."<p>

"Hey Quinn," Mercedes smiled at the blonde, squinting slightly in the sunlight. "How's your summer been?"  
>The blonde shrugged. "Pretty decent." <em>A lie. It's been horrifyingly boring and lonely. <em>"What about you two?"

The pair exchanged a mischievous grin. "Pretty decent," they replied in unison.

Quinn laughed along with them, but it was hollow and forced. "Well I'll leave you two be. Just wanted to say hi."

"It was real nice to see you," Sam said as she swam slowly away. She nodded and smiled sadly in response. The couple went back to playing and Quinn clambered out of the pool, moving to sit on the side. Only one seat was open, and it was next to a certain brunette, one who's relationship with Quinn had been infamously intense and shaky.

The breath caught in the blonde's throat as she saw where she'd be sitting, but quickly corrected herself as the girl turned and made eye contact.

"Hello, Quinn," Rachel smiled at her.

"Hi Rachel," Quinn reciprocated, sitting down next to the girl who swiveled to face her.

"It certainly has been awhile since we've seen each other! How have you been?"

She always found it harder to lie to Rachel. The girl was too good at reading facial expressions; probably on account of her acting skills. Quinn opted for a neutral response, "Same old, same old."

Rachel paused, then nodded, smiling, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

"How are you and Finn?" Quinn asked, unable to resist.

Rachel sighed, scowling. "All he wants to do is play his mind-rotting video games with Noah, or play football, which is at least exercise, and I don't mind watching sometimes, but honestly it does get to be a bit much, and it would just be nice if we could do more romantic things, and I understand that Finn doesn't have the money to take us out all the time, but again it'd just be nice to-"

"Rachel, Rachel," Quinn held up her palms in surrender, smiling exasperatedly. "Okay, I get it. I didn't ask for your life story."

Rachel looked dejected, "I'm sorry. It's just something that's been sitting on my mind for quite some time now and I appreciated being able to vent my frustrations to somebody."

The brunette sighed and laid out fully on her layout chair. Quinn momentarily lost herself as she subconsciously allowed her eyes to rake over the girl's tanned, exposed body. Rachel was wearing a black bikini that was fairly modest-for a bikini. The blonde caught herself and recovered by sighing exaggeratedly and stretching to touch her toes.

"It's okay, Rachel, I understand. I dated him too, remember?"

Rachel smiled kindly. "Yes, I remember." The girl frowned. "Hey Quinn, what are those from?"

"Huh?"

"Those lines on your back." Rachel pointed briefly before dropping her hand immediately—it was rude to point.

"Oh, uh, those are birthmarks," Quinn replied, turning away as she said it.

"I didn't know you had birthmarks on your back."

"Yeah, well, I don't just tell people as I introduce myself," she replied angrily.

"Sorry, sorry," Rachel flashed her palms in surrender.

"No I...sorry I snapped at you. I'm just a little...self-conscious about them, I guess."

"You really have no reason to be. People don't see your back all that often, and besides, if you had no flaws I'd have trouble believing you were human." Rachel smiled cheekily, but her words had struck a nerve in the blonde, who sat silently for a few moments.

Quinn sat back slowly. "Rachel?"

"Yes, Quinn?"

"Would you like to hang out sometime?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for your continued support! ****Comments and such are always welcome and encouraged. Also, I'm my own beta so **

**if there are any mistakes, I ****apologize. As for whether or not Quinn is really an angel...well, I think I'm going for more of the **

**"guardian angel" approach. :)**

**See you in chapter 3! **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Two days later, the girls were strolling up the hill leading away from Rachel's house. It was late morning, and Quinn was sleepy. It was the earliest she'd been up in a while, but Rachel was an early riser; even in summertime. The brunette had suggested they meet at 10 o'clock, and Quinn had always possessed an inability to say no to the girl. So, Quinn had arrived at her doorstep at 10 am sharp, dressed in another breezy sundress and shades, trying to mentally prepare herself for this...hang out.

Rachel had answered the door, chipper as ever. It was hard not to smile at the bright life shining from the shorter girl's eyes as she greeted the blonde. Her warm-weather outfit consisted of a short red skirt that Quinn had seen before and a simple, plain white t-shirt and sandals. She tried not to appreciate the outfit too obviously.

"Ready to go?" Quinn asked her.

"Yes! Let me just-" she turned her head back inside the house, "I'm going out for a bit, okay, Daddy?"

A man's voice could be heard shouting distantly, "Okay, sweetheart, have fun!"

Rachel turned back around and stepped out, shutting the door behind her. "Where to?"

"Oh, nowhere in particular." The blonde replied. "I thought we could just walk and...talk, I guess," she finished lamely, shrugging.

"That sounds great!" The smile still hadn't faded from Rachel's face.

As the two walked, Quinn soon realized how much she had underestimated this hill from the air, and the fact that she was pretty out of shape from lack of Cheerios practice certainly wasn't helping; the muscles used for walking weren't well exercised from flying. The humid air was sticky in her throat and lungs, and she could feel her skin becoming damp from sweat. Rachel bounded along beside her, seemingly unaffected by the hot weather or the incline.

"So, Quinn..." Rachel began. When the blonde didn't respond, she took that as a go ahead, "Have you started seeing anyone since summer began?"

"Uhh...no." Quinn paused, momentarily taken aback by the randomness of the question. "Why do you ask?" She continued looking straight ahead as she spoke.

"Just curious," Rachel shrugged. "We haven't seen each other since school, and I was just trying to make conversation."

"Uh-huh."  
>"Well, don't worry about it. Being single can be a very rewarding experience, and it really helps build strength and independence."<p>

"Funny to hear you say that."

"Sorry?"

"I seem to remember every time you've been single, you were pining over Finn. Or Jesse." Quinn mumbled somewhat bitterly.

Rachel looked down. "Well, it's not for everyone, I suppose."

Quinn raised her eyebrows, but otherwise made no response.

The two were silent for a while then, the only sound their slightly exaggerated breathing as they hiked upwards. Reaching the top of the hill, and Quinn's favorite tree, the blonde flopped down on her back as the brunette stood beside her.

"I wouldn't really expect you to understand anyway," the brunette mumbled finally, not meeting her eye.

"What?" Quinn furrowed her brow as she squinted slightly at the girl above her.

"Well you're Quinn Fabray," Rachel smiled sadly. "Although you're no longer the captain of the Cheerios, the title is still attached to your reputation, and well," she shrugged. "Just look at you." She met her eyes and gestured lazily at the girl on the ground in front of her. "You're beautiful. Everybody loves you."

Quinn didn't reply at first. She sat up slowly, propping herself up on her elbows. "Everybody doesn't love me, Rachel," a sad smile pulled at her lips as the other girl lowered herself to the ground.

"If that's the case it's only because they want to _be_ you," she insisted.

Quinn laughed once, shaking her head. "Not true, but alright. I'm not going to argue with you about how cool I am." A larger smile slid across the blonde's face at her statement, as if it were the most ludicrous thing she'd ever said.  
>Rachel shrugged and sighed, looking away to observe her surroundings.<p>

"I love this tree," she murmured.

"It's my favorite," the two said in unison. They both paused, glanced at each other in shock, then laughed awkwardly and looked away.

_Oh my God. You are _not _flirting with Rachel Berry._ Quinn mentally shook herself. She knew hanging out with her was a bad idea.

Rachel interrupted her internal self-scolding. "It sounds silly but I feel like...I feel like this tree is some sort of guardian, or something. Looking at it just makes me feel...safe." She shook her head. "That's silly isn't it?"

Quinn looked up at the sky through the ends of the trees branches; cracks crawling over a shattered blue glass. "No. That's not silly at all."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks again for reading! What do you all think so far? Next chapter will take place at night = Angel!Quinn, so stay tuned!  
><strong>

**What do you all think about Rachel's characterization? Accurate? And if anyone has any suggestions for what you'd like to see **

**happen, let me know and I'll see what I can do.**

**See you next chapter! **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Quinn stayed in her tree later in the summer time. No school meant no need to wake up at a decent hour (except for church on Sundays), and the blonde wanted to stay for as long as she could with her wings out free. Rachel's bedroom light had shut off hours ago, as had the lights in the rest of the house, but still she sat, watching. It was peaceful for her.

The rest of the town had fallen quiet too. She loved nights like these, where she felt like the only one left in the world. Finally free from the judgements of those who hardly knew her. An entire school year had gone by since Quinn had gone through her pregnancy, and the talk had died down completely on the subject. But when it came down to it, in their eyes she was still the girl who got pregnant as a sophomore and was kicked off the Cheerios and dethroned from the Celibacy Club. That club was a joke anyway, and she knew it, but it was the principle of the matter. Her pride was wounded, and she was humbled against her will. The girl knew she had become a stronger, better person from the experience, but she didn't much like to admit it. Talking about emotions was not something that came naturally to her.

Quinn's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by movements in the distance, near Rachel's house. The blonde froze, watching carefully as a dark figure emerged from a vehicle, the lights not on. Red flags began popping up in the girl's mind and her heart rate quickened. The figure stalked closer to the front door and easily made his way in. Quinn was too consumed by fear to be exasperated at the fact that the Berrys left their front door unlocked.

Frantic, Quinn glanced around. She knew what she had to do, but was fearful of being spotted; recognized. Grimacing, she eyed the mud at the base of the tree. It would have to do.

Lithely floating to the ground, the girl quickly scooped handfuls of the brown mush into her palms, rubbing it through her hair and across her face, carving a mask around her features. Knowing it would tighten as it dried, she added extra to allow for shrinkage.

Quinn flew a wide arc around the Berry household, entering the garage from the back, her wings retracting stealthily as she landed. She knew there would be someone waiting in the vehicle parked outside and couldn't risk being seen. Quietly searching the tool bench in the corner, she selected a wrench that had a certain heft to it and proceeded into the main house.

The home intruder was being fairly silent as he searched the Berrys' personal belongings, but not silent enough to elude a very awake Quinn Fabray. She retracted her wings to allow for more fluid movement through the inside of the house, quietly stalking the man from behind. As she reached a place directly behind the burglar, he stopped searching through the cabinet he was working on and turned. Seeing the girl standing above him, wrench held high overhead, his face slackened in shock.

Quinn brought the wrench down hard on the man's face, grunting slightly as she did so. The dull thud as it made contact harmonized nauseatingly with a crunch- most likely his nose breaking. The blonde stood, breathing heavily and shaking slightly over the man's unconscious form for a few moments before recovering enough to grab his hand; she began to drag him to the door.

Before exiting, Quinn glanced out the front entrance. The vehicle was still parked in front of the curb, and she could indeed see the outline of a figure sitting in the drivers' seat. The girl sighed. She'd just have to let that one go. Continuing to drag the unconscious man out the door, she heard the car noisily start behind her back and peel away with a screech, the lights on this time. She dropped her victim on the curb and glared at his ugly face, already swelling from where she'd struck him. _Good_, she thought. She didn't dare to think what would have happened had she not been in her tree and seen him and his buddy arrive. She shuddered (glancing at Rachel's window as she did so) at the possibility of his interest in stealing things other than material objects.

Standing, she wiped her brow as she watched the red taillights turn a corner in the distance and vanish. She glanced again at the man on the ground beside her and sighed, trudging back inside the house to phone the police, her wings whooshing slightly as they burst back out.

"Yes, thank you." Quinn quietly set down the receiver and turned to leave when a voice caused her to stop and leap out of her skin.

"Who are you?" Rachel's voice sounded slightly flat and low from grogginess, a cute scowl on her sleepy face.

Quinn froze, her mouth half open, like a deer caught in the headlights. The room was dark, and she was still mostly covered in mud, but did Rachel hear her on the phone? Quinn was too afraid to speak, for fear of her familiar voice giving her away. So instead she just stood, gaping like a fool.

"Are you an angel?" Rachel asked.

Quinn didn't respond.

"Am I dreaming?"

Quinn recovered enough from the shock to nod mutely at the girl across the room, praying that she would leave and go back to bed.

"Oh," Rachel simply said. "Can I...can I touch them?" She reached an arm out for the wings and took a step forward.

Quinn recoiled and shook her head violently.

Rachel looked hurt. "Why not?" She pouted.

Quinn didn't move. The two girls watched each other quietly for minutes that dragged slowly onward. Finally, the blonde shook her head again, turned, and flew out the front door, a light scratching sound following her through the hall as her wingtips brushed against the walls.

Rachel ran to the front door and watched in awe as the angel flew farther upwards into the sky, finally disappearing from view. The brunette stayed in the doorway for a long time after she could no longer see the other girl.

Quinn violently crashed through her open bedroom window. Her wings shot back in quickly as she bolted to the bathroom across the hall, collapsing in front of the toilet and vomiting until only dry coughs came out. When she'd finished, she leaned heavily on the toilet bowl, completely drained and exhausted. She flushed the toilet and sat back against the wall; to her frustration, she began to cry softly, her tears carving harsh tracks in what mud was left on her cheeks.

Tonight had been close. _Way _too close.

Quinn didn't sleep a wink that night. 

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thoughts? Reviews are welcomed and encouraged, but obviously not required. My family took a vacation so I'm a little **

**behind on writing, but I'm doing my best! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Completely restless, Quinn needed out of her house; ASAP. It was only 8 AM, the morning of the robbery, but having not slept, it felt like years ago. Not hearing anything was torture, so she decided to go for a walk; to the Berrys' house, of course.

To avoid suspicion, Quinn donned a jogging outfit and set out with the ruse of getting some morning exercise. She hoped Rachel wouldn't be aware of how out of character this was for her. She was banking on the brunette being too distracted by the burglary to notice anything out of the ordinary.

Yards away from Rachel's house, Quinn could see the harsh flashing lights of police vehicles still going.

As she jogged closer (totally out of breath and unfortunately sweaty), she spotted Rachel, standing with one of her Dads, a distressed look on her attractive features. Her dad's arm was around her shoulder comfortingly, as the two looked on at the scene. A twang tugged at Quinn's chest as she observed the fear that clouded and distorted the other girl's face. She dawdled in the distance until she'd caught her breath enough to be able to speak coherently, and approached.

"Hey, what happened?" Quinn asked, with an attempt at genuine confusion. Rachel spun around at the sound of her voice.

"Someone broke into our house last night!" She wailed, flinging her arms around the startled blonde's neck. Quinn didn't have the time to react before Rachel backed off, pushing her hair behind her ear nervously. "Sorry," she mumbled. "It's just so awful to think that someone was in our house last night when we were all there, sleeping." She shivered and her father rubbed her back consolingly.

"It's okay, Rachel," Quinn recovered her composure, her stomach tickling her from the inside at Rachel's emotional outburst. "Don't worry about it. Did they take anything?"

"No, that's the thing," Rachel's father piped up. "The man was unconscious on the sidewalk when the police arrived. Someone had phoned them last night, and the dispatcher said the call had come from inside the house!" He wiggled his fingers spookily and chuckled, eliciting a weak smile from Rachel. Quinn admired the man's nonchalance and smiled genuinely at his corny joke.

"Wow. That's really weird," Quinn remarked.

"Isn't it though?" The man nodded.

"Oh. Gosh. Look at me, being rude," Rachel thunked her fist against her forehead, her face scrunching in thought. "I haven't introduced you two. Dad, this is Quinn. Quinn, this is my dad, Hiram Berry."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Berry," Quinn shook the man's offered hand.

"Please, call me Hiram. It really just gets confusing with him also being Mr. Berry and..." He trailed off, waving his hand at his husband in the distance, who was speaking to a police officer, his hands on his hips.

Quinn nodded. "Then it's nice to meet you, Hiram."

"And you, Quinn." Hiram bowed dramatically and Quinn giggled.

"Dad," Rachel whined exasperatedly. "Was that entirely necessary?"

"I'm just trying to be a gentleman, my dear!" He grinned at his daughter, waggling his eyebrows comically.

Rachel smiled and patted his shoulder, sighing.

Quinn smiled at the father-daughter interaction. Before arriving, she'd harbored some trepidation over Rachel possibly recognizing her from their standoff in the living room the night before. The girl showed no signs of any such thing however, and Quinn slowly began to relax. Maybe this would be okay.

"Morning." A police officer had approached the group. "How're we holdin' up?"

"We're doing okay." Hiram replied, a tight smile on his friendly face.

"Right. Well, we've just got a couple questions and then I think we'll be done here."

"I'll do my best to answer, Officer...?"

"Henry. Officer Henry, sorry," he grinned in embarrassment "Anyway, it appears as though the intruder entered through the front door. However, there are no signs of forced entry. Do you lock your door at night, sir?"

Hiram grimaced, massaging the back of his neck nervously. "Probably not as often as we should, to be honest."

Rachel scowled up at him. "Home security is very important, Dad."

Officer Henry nodded. "Your daughter's right, sir. Perhaps you should think about doing that in the future."

"Of course," Hiram agreed ruefully.

"Now, it seems as though there was a bit of a scuffle in your living room where the intruder was knocked unconscious and dragged back out the door and left here." He indicated the curb nearby. "Whoever this good samaritan was...it's pretty safe to assume they're the one who called the police from the phone in your living room."

Quinn tensed slightly. What if they looked into who called? It's not like she took precautions to cover her fingerprints or anything.

"Your partner, Leroy, told me that nothing was taken, and we got the guy in lock up right now so it seems to me to be an open and shut case. If you wanted, we could try to look into who called us over, but if you ask me, I would just thank God and move on." He shrugged.

Hiram smiled. "Yeah, no, we're good. Thank you for everything."

"Just doin' my job, sir." He smiled genially, turning away to walk back to his car. He had barely taken a step when he stopped, swiveling back around to face the group. "One more thing. Do you happen to own a bird?"

Hiram furrowed his brow, mildly taken aback by the suddenness of the question. "Um, no. No we don't. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, well." He grinned bashfully. "It's just that I found this feather in your hallway and didn't recognize what species it's from. I'm kind of a bird nerd." He chuckled.

A knot twisted in Quinn's stomach as the man extracted a large white feather from his jacket's inside pocket. The tip had barely noticeable blue marks, with slight grayish hues along the outside; she recognized it instantly as her own. Her eyes flicked instinctively to Rachel's, searching for any sign of connection with what the brunette had witnessed last night.

Hiram shook his head, shrugging nonchalantly, completely unaware of the turmoil the blonde beside him was feeling. "I have no idea where that's from. It's pretty though." He added.

"Isn't it though?" The officer studied it fondly.

Quinn rubbed her arms self-consciously, still shooting glances at the girl beside her. Rachel's brow had furrowed slightly, her eyes watching the pavement; she appeared to be thinking, hard. Quinn could practically hear the gears turning in Rachel's mind.

"Rachel?"

Both girls instinctively turned their heads at the familiar male voice. An awkwardly tall teenage boy was approaching, his brown hair mussed from sleep. He looked as though he had just gotten up and was unaccustomed to such an early rise. Finn Hudson reached the group in a few giant strides, immediately targeting Rachel and sweeping her into his long arms.

"Finn!" Rachel squealed, a little shocked by the suddenness of finding herself enclosed in his warm grasp.

"I came as soon as I got your message. Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yes, I'm fine. The police are just about to leave; everything's alright." She gazed straight upward at his worried face.

A flare of hot anger twisted through Quinn's chest and esophagus. Her fists subconsciously clenched and she trained her eyes determinedly at the pavement below her. _Dammit_, she thought to herself. The blonde knew she had feelings for Rachel; she had for quite some time now, though she'd deny it to anyone who asked. It wasn't something she was proud of, and was even somewhat disgusted at herself for. She often blamed Rachel, yes, but was _never _disgusted at Rachel for what she herself was feeling. No, she knew that was all her.

She did all she could to help the girl, while still managing to maintain the façade that the two were rivals. In a way, they were. But when it came down to it, Quinn cared for Rachel's happiness more than her own. She knew the triple-threat was meant to be a star, and she was determined to make that happen. It meant one thing above all others; keep her away from Finn Hudson.

The boy would only drag her down.

Quinn spun on her heel and quickly jogged away, not bothering to say goodbye. Something would have to be done about Rachel's dating situation, but for the time being, Quinn was beginning to feel suffocated by having the two in front of her like this.

By not looking back however, she missed the brunette's lingering stare that followed her to the end of the block and around the corner, completely disregarding the boy who's arm was wrapped affectionately around her shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello again! I've decided that for this story, Quinn has already come out to herself. And is _somewhat_ accepting of this fact****. **

**Enough so that she's mostly okay with it. Her main concern is the whole, you know, having wings thing. Also, I'm**

**sorry if you like Finn. I'll try not to be too mean to him.**

**See you next chapter! **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Quinn closed her eyes. She allowed herself to just relax, feeling the sharp blades of summer grass prickling against the exposed skin on her arms and legs. She inhaled, tasting the afternoon air and its yellow-green tang. She was enjoying a rare moment of peace, her mind taking a break from...well, thinking. Always thinking – and worrying.

She heard Rachel sigh contentedly somewhere in the space to her right. She'd almost forgotten she'd come with her.

"This is so nice," Rachel commented.

"Mmm," Quinn hummed in response.

"Thanks for spending time with me again." Rachel's voice was smiling, but a hint of insecurity still lilted through her words.

Quinn took a moment to reply. Then, quietly, "I like spending time with you."

Rachel didn't say anything to that, but Quinn couldn't help but grin a little at how loudly she could hear the girl's shining smile.

A few un-awkward silences later, Rachel piped up. "Hey Quinn?"

"Mm?" Quinn's eyes were still closed, her face directed at the sky above her. The light dappled across her cheeks from the large tree stretching all around them.

"Do you ever have dreams that you could swear were real?"

Quinn tensed. _Ugh. _Just when she was finally relaxed, managing to forget what a mess of secrets and lies her life really was. She opted for a snarky dodge, "My mom doesn't like me to swear."

Rachel ignored her comment. "It's just that the night of the burglary, I had this dream. Except it didn't feel like a dream. It felt very real. And – anyway, I went downstairs for a glass of water in the middle of the night, and there was someone down there. A girl, or maybe a woman – it's hard to say. It was dark, of course, and I think she was covered in mud or some substance that obstructed my view of her face. But she..."

Rachel glanced warily at Quinn, as if not sure she should say this next part. Quinn's eyes were still closed, her face turned skyward, but it was obvious she was listening very hard. Rachel chose to go for it. "She...she had wings. Enormous white wings. She looked like an angel," Rachel added dreamily. "And I thought she was." She shrugged. "It was the only logical explanation that I be dreaming, asleep, because well, people just don't have wings."

Quinn flinched almost imperceptibly. Rachel had already closed her eyes again, missing the telling action.

"But then..." She continued. "Remember the police officer that day? He'd found a feather. A large, white feather." She was sitting up now, partially facing Quinn, as her speech had become more animated. "That's no coincidence." At the lack of reaction from her conversation partner, Rachel pressed her, "Quinn, do you believe in angels?"

Quinn exhaled heavily through her nose, her chest falling lightly as she did. "Yes, I suppose I do."

"Do you believe what I saw was an angel?"

Quinn took a long time to answer the brunette's loaded question. "I don't know what it is," she finally said, her voice quiet and unreadable.

"'She.' I said it was a 'she.'" Rachel clarified.

Quinn sighed. "I remember what you said."

Rachel studied her for a moment, before adding quietly, "Well, I like to think of her as my guardian angel. She only lets _me_ see her – normally in this tree." She pointed at the branches above them. "For the longest time, I thought I must be crazy, or the perspective was playing tricks on me, and it was really just a large bird of prey maybe," (Quinn smiled at that.) "But now that I've seen the feather...and seen her up close, in my own home...I can't help but believe she must be real."

Quinn stayed still for a few beats, Rachel watching her intently the entire time. The blonde finally twitched a shoulder in a shrugging response and lay still and silent yet again. Rachel sighed – was that disappointment Quinn heard? – and lay back down in the grass, her eyelids sliding shut once again.

The two girls stayed in the silence for quite awhile; Rachel had almost fallen asleep when she heard a quiet humming coming from the girl beside her. The tune sounded so painfully familiar; she wracked her brain for the lyrics. As soon as Quinn reached the chorus, the lines started filling her mind's eye like a teleprompter:

_And I don't want the world to see me_

_ 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand_

_ When everything's made to be broken_

"I just want you to know who I am," Rachel sang the last line of the chorus out-loud, her beautiful soprano filling the air around them.

Quinn froze, standing abruptly. The blood rush made splotches dance in her vision, partially obscuring the startled girl below her.

"I-I just remembered I have to um, my mom asked me to...do something for her," Quinn stuttered before hastily turning and striding away.

"Oh, um," Rachel said, flustered. "Okay!" She called to the blonde's retreating figure. "I'll text you?"

Quinn didn't turn around, just flashed a thumbs-up sign in the air, maintaining her brisk pace away from the hill. Rachel sighed, laying back down under the tree, alone.

"You'll tell me when you're ready," she whispered. 

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Not entirely sure for what reasons, but this is one of my fave chapters so far. Also, the song used is "Iris" by The Goo Goo**

**Dolls. It's one of my favorites and I heard it on the radio the morning I wrote the first draft of this chapter. I just thought it fit so  
>perfectly, and when I looked up the meaning just for kicks, it turns out it was written for a movie about an angel! I thought it<strong>

**was funny. Anyways, reviews are always welcome and encouraged. See you next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sunday night found Quinn eating dinner with her mother, Judy, in the elegant dining room of the Fabray house. The silence was only broken by the clinking of the womens' silverware against their respective platters; it wasn't that the two _weren't talking, _it was simply that they weren't talking. The mother daughter pair found that they could sit in each others' company without feeling the need for idle chatter. Their bond had strengthened immensely after Mr. Fabray had left the home; it was hard at first, but he really was a toxic presence for both of them, and they soon realized it.

"Could you pass the green beans, please, Quinnie?"

"Sure." Quinn lifted the plate with her left hand and placed it in her mother's outstretched right.

"Thank you, dear."

A few more moments of silence.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

Quinn steeled herself for the impending conversation her question would spark. Was she really doing this? "I just...I wanted to know if it would be _so bad _if someone knew...about me..." she trailed off, quailing under Judy's suddenly intense glare.

"Quinn, do we really need to have this conversation? Or have you entirely forgotten middle school?"

Quinn winced at the recollection. Sometimes when she lost her focus, her wings would come bursting out, betraying her to anyone unlucky enough to witness the spectacle. Well, one unfortunate day of the 7th grade, Quinn didn't make it into a toilet stall in time to release her sneeze. It snuck up on her, okay? Anyway, the occupants of the little girls' room at the time were not entirely thrilled with the incident. "No..."

"And doesn't that answer your question completely?"

"What if it's different this time? Middle schoolers are still children, they weren't ready to –to understand what happened. And if it was like...a friend. Someone who –who cares about me," she finished quietly.

"The answer is 'no,' Quinn."

"I think it could be different-" Quinn tried again.

But Judy cut her off. "It won't be." Her voice like frozen stone.

_This is _my_ life, _Quinn thought to herself. _Not yours._ But for her mother's ears, "Fine."

"I forbid you to tell anyone, Quinn. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Quinn replied dully. She forced a couple more bites of chicken down her throat before she needed out of this room. Immediately. She set down her utensils. "May I be excused?"

Judy glanced at her briefly. "You may."

Quinn scooted her chair back with a hollow squeak, dropping her napkin on her plate and taking the pile to the kitchen. She rinsed it off, setting them in the dishwasher and throwing the napkin in the laundry room. She hastened to her room upstairs and dug around her bed for where she'd left her cell phone. She had only to navigate to her inbox to find the contact she was looking for.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she did so. She composed a short message and hit 'send,' tossing her phone back to the bed after.

Across town, Rachel's phone's screen lit up with a buzz. The brunette tore her attention away from the movie she was watching to view the text. It was from Quinn.

**wanna spend the night tuesday?**

Grinning widely, she quickly punched in a reply.

s**ure.**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry about the slow updates lately. It's gonna be more like this pace from here on out with school coming back soon, so I **

**apologize in advance. I will do my best to continue working on this for you all though! Reviews and comments are always read **

**and appreciated. Thanks for staying with me!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Tuesday arrived quickly. Quinn had been a bundle of mixed emotions in the days since she'd asked Rachel over. She had texted her in a moment of high feeling, and when she'd realized what she'd done later that night, the anxiety set in. Quinn found, to her slight surprise, that besides being totally terrified of having Rachel sleep in her bed, she was also quite looking forward to it. Though...when she thought about it, that wasn't really that surprising.

Quinn had been a bundle of mixed emotions in the days since she'd asked Rachel over.

So that night, after dinner and introductions for Rachel and Judy, the girls went to Quinn's room to watch a movie before bed. Quinn was chewing on a mouthful of popcorn when she heard Rachel speak.

"-with Finn," was the only bit she caught.

Quinn finished chewing quickly and swallowed, "What? Sorry, I was chewing."

"I broke up with Finn," Rachel repeated.

"Oh," was Quinn's genius response. She was taken off-guard, but somewhere in her mind it was registered that this was both good and bad news and was to be treated delicately.

Rachel's eyes stayed glued to the screen, her expression morose but not completely devastated, or even really that sad.

"Do you...wanna talk about it?" Quinn asked.

Rachel shrugged, picking absentmindedly at a piece of popcorn (Quinn made sure it was vegan-friendly). "There isn't really much to say. Other than Glee club, I've found Finn and I don't have that much in common, and our personalities often clash."

Quinn frowned thoughtfully and nodded. _Excellent_, the devious voice inside her purred.

"I've also developed feelings for someone else, and deemed it unfair to both of us to continue the relationship knowing this information."

Quinn's eye twitched minutely as she felt a lump rise in her throat. "Oh, really?" She tried to sound as casual as possible. "Care to share?"

Rachel simply grinned, eyes still straight ahead. She shrugged as if to say, _Maybe I will, maybe I won't._

Quinn decided to drop it. It was probably less painful just not to know. "So you think you did the right thing?"

Rachel paused. "Yeah," she whispered softly. "I do."

Quinn glanced down at the popcorn but realized she'd lost her appetite. Bittersweet news. But for Rachel she nodded, smiling. "Good. And that's all you can do, isn't it?"

Rachel didn't respond.

The two continued watching the rest of their movie, _Titanic_. As soon as the credits began to roll, Quinn swallowed. _It's now or never_, she told herself. She was doing this for her, wasn't she? This wasn't some petty act of rebellion against her mother. No. She'd been hiding for _so _long. Besides, this was Rachel she was talking about. Sure, she didn't exactly keep the secret of the true father of her child from Finn, but then, it was something he deserved to know. She hadn't had the guts to tell him herself. In the end, she was glad Rachel had done it.

No, this was a different kind of secret. Rachel wouldn't tell. She could see it in her earnest brown eyes, the blue glow of the television reflecting softly from their liquid surface.

"Rachel?" Quinn began, her heart in her throat, on her sleeve, on the sheets before her, in the hands of the girl beside her.

"Yes, Quinn?" Rachel's eyes finally off the screen. A sheen of light tears coating them as brown met hazel in the darkness of Quinn's bedroom.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure, Quinn, anything." Rachel sat up, eager.

"I mean it," Quinn could hear her voice trembling and she hated herself for it.

Rachel caught onto it too, concern washing over her. "I promise, you can tell me anything."

Quinn met her eyes briefly before realizing she wouldn't be able to hold eye contact while she spoke the words. She studied the sheets between her outspread fingers as if they were a very complicated code. Rachel watched her hand too.

Quinn took a deep breath and released it shakily. "I-I have...wings," she whispered.

As she said the last word however, Rachel had interrupted with a rushed, "me too."

Quinn's chin snapped up, staring at Rachel, confused.

"I-I mean...sorry, I thought you were going to say something else," Rachel amended quietly.

"Oh." Quinn nodded.  
>The only sound was that of the TV wafting faintly upstairs as Judy watched in the living room, and the occasional car passing on the street below. Every second for Quinn was agonizing.<p>

She had just opened her mouth to say something when Rachel cut her off. "So it wasn't a dream?"

Quinn chuckled ruefully. "No. No, unfortunately not. When that police officer pulled out my feather I thought I was going to faint."

Rachel laughed nervously. "So can I...can I see them?" She asked tentatively.

For all the time Quinn had spent the past few days thinking over this moment, she hadn't foreseen this question. But now, after Rachel said it, it was the most obvious thing in the world. She hesitated, glancing once more at her friend, reading her expression. She didn't seem frightened, only a little shocked, and still with some emotion lingering over from the movie.

Quinn removed her shirt (she was wearing a bra underneath), made sure her straps were out of the way, and unleashed her wings. A gentle whoosh of air lifted the tips of Rachel's hair and tickled her cheeks. Rachel stared up at them in awe, not even trying to hide it.

Quinn stared determinedly downward at the sheets beneath her, feeling embarrassed and exposed. _Mostly _because of the wings.

"You really are like an angel," Rachel breathed.

Quinn shook her head vehemently, her voice trembling with emotion. "No, no I'm not. They're really just a burden on everyone."

"I think they're beautiful," Rachel gently stroked the edge of one with her index finger, and Quinn shut her eyes. "Besides, without them, who would've caught that burglar in my house?"

Quinn laughed once despite herself. "Okay, so they've come in handy once or twice."

"If...if I'm not too heavy, do you think we could fly?" Rachel ventured.

Quinn sniffled. Why did she always end up crying in front of Rachel?

Rachel gripped her chin gently, turning it to face her, and wiped a tear off Quinn's cheek with her thumb. "If you don't want to, that's fine," she assured her.

Quinn shook her head, smiling through her tears. She tentatively placed her own hand over Rachel's on her cheek. "It's okay. We can fly."

Quinn pulled on a halter top after blowing her nose, and Rachel clambered onto her back. She lit off her windowsill and soared through the Ohio summer night air, Rachel alternating between appreciative gasps and squeals of terror. Quinn chuckled because although she had an extra 110 pounds or so to carry, she felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The air tasted sweeter and the rush of wind felt freer.

It was the happiest Quinn had felt in a long time.

Maybe ever.

As Quinn approached her tree, she began to slow, banking her wings to catch resistance. Landing gracefully on her favorite branch, she squatted to help her passenger ease off her back. Rachel wobbled nervously, not used to such great heights. She gripped Quinn's wrist to steady herself, warmth blossoming under her skin at the touch.

The two sat down side by side, Quinn's left wing cupped protectively around Rachel. The girls sat in silence, appreciating the balmy night air and the view from the tree.

Suddenly, Rachel sat bolt upright. "Wait a second. This!" She pointed to the tree, the ground, Quinn, the sky, flailing wildly. Quinn gripped her thigh to hold her steady without even thinking about it. The contact calmed Rachel down, but Quinn, realizing where her hand was, quickly snapped it back as if burned, her cheeks glowing scarlet.

"Um," Rachel stammered, flustered after the slightly awkward interaction. She shook her head clear. "I've seen you before. In this tree. A lot, actually. That was you, wasn't it?"

Quinn sighed, "I figured you could see me, yeah." She shook her head ruefully. "I didn't really care though. It's not as if you ever expected this," she gestured to herself, wings and all, "to be what it was, huh?"

Rachel grinned cutely, laying her head against Quinn's shoulder. "Nope. This was completely unexpected."

Quinn automatically froze at the intimacy, but slowly began to thaw as Rachel's head remained still. It was...pretty relaxing, actually. She turned her head slightly to rest her face against Rachel's hair; the sweet scent of Rachel's shampoo filled her nostrils. Raspberry, maybe? Quinn shut her eyes, just appreciating everything around her right here, right now.

"I want this moment to last forever," Rachel whispered.

Quinn couldn't have agreed more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello again everyone! So this chapter was pretty fluffy and emotional. Thus is Faberry. I **

**think I'll start wrapping this up pretty soon, but perhaps leave it open for a sequel. We'll see. **

**Reviews and comments are greatly welcomed and encourage me to write more so... *hint hint* ;)  
><strong>

**Hope you're all enjoying the story! See you next chapter~!**


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